Hydrostatic liquid levelometer



March 7, 1950 Filed NOV. 4, 1947 HYDROSTATIC LIQUID LEVELOMETER E. OLSON 2,499,674

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7, 1950 E, OLSON 2,499,674

HYDRSTATIC LQUID LEVELOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 75 745 74 1J t 'E4 '4,' :1

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Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2,499,674 HYDROSTATIC. LIQUID LEVELOMETER Emil Olson, Los Angeles, Calif. ApplicationNovember 4, 1947', Serial No.. 784,055.

(Cl. 'i3-3.02.)

' 7 Claims. l.

This invention relates to a hydrostatic liquid levelometer.

One important object of the invention is. to provide means to. use an expensive. pressure-indicating liquid likev mercury without such. liquid being forced from its. proper, housed-in position, and also to prevent the mercury from being displaced or wasted when the device is being transported from one place to another.

Another object of thev invention is to provide improved means for regulating the apparatus so as to adapt it for use in indicating the liquid levels. in tanks containing specic gravities.

Still another object relates to an improved dual pointer indicating means wherein. a main pointer and an auxiliary pointer cooperate in such a manner as to safeguard. against a misreading .of the pressures. designated by the main, pointer.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,y which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig` 1 is a part side elevation and part section of the apparatus looking at the face of the dial carried thereby, and including a fragmentof the storage tank.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on angular line 2'-2 of Fig. 3 the scale being larger than that of' Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on irregular line' 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showingr in plan, a locking member to safeguard the escape of the pressure-indicating mercury, the plane of section.

being on line -i of Fig. 2, said locking member being shown on a the latter view.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged part of the mechanism level indicating pointer.

Fig. 6 is a section on irregular'line G-l-B of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the indicator operating lever and adjacent parts.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged reproduction, partlyin elevation, of the mercury sealing means shown in the left hand portion of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in Fig. 1 is shown the indicator casing I0 furnished with elevational detail of a for operating the liquid a plurality of apertured ears I l toreceive fastensaid.. casing to a vertical.

ingwmeans tol secure instrument panel1 wall or. other suitablev support.

liquids. o diierent.

larger scale than that of tension opposite to said tube.

In this view is also. shown a fragment of. a. closed--r in tank l2, containing in its lower part an upstanding pressure bell of tube I3 having a. single lateralv aperture i5. communicating with the liquid l5 in the lower portion of theA tank. The. lower end oi said tube I3 rests. on the bottom of the. tank l.. From the bellsv closed upperend leads a vertical pipe loup through a fitting.

which aiTords an air tight connection between the pipe and tank. Above said fitting said pipe.V t6 is united by a union Il with the adjacent end of. an angular pipe i8, the. opposite end of said.v pipe Ileading upwardly into the aforesaid indicator casing HI..

Superjacentto the point at, which said pipe [8.'

enters the.y indicator casing l is anchored' af 23- operates av pump piston 24' manually oper-y able bymeans of a handle 25.. This pump structure is. of the well known bicycle pump type.

Thev aforementioned inclined pipe or tube 22- leads across the interior of the casing I0 to. a point near the. pipe communicates with. the interior of a tubular extension 2l which upstands from the closed-in4 mercury tank 218.

axial passage 38, the. upper portion of whichA is threaded and the lower portion ofv which is plain. At. the upper endoi the plain passage is a needle. Valve seat and it is atthis. point or slightly thereabove that the tube 22 communicates axial passage 39.

The upper. end of the tubular part 27 is closed fluid tight by means of packing 32 and nut 33,

through both of .which passesthe manually rotatable needle portion of said axial passage portion to. rest, at times, upon said needle valve4 seat and close communication opposite side thereof where said'l Within the part of said exe' 22 is formedan..

with said 3,4, said needlev having a screw-I threaded port'on to cooperate with the threaded.' 3|! and a pointed.

with the aforev l said tube 22. The needle is extended above this.

part of the structure through the top of ythe cas- 1 ing @il above which it has anv angularl'y directed .hereby it is manually turnable.;4 mentioned upstanding tubular .partfg upper end portion tightly' ttedinto a vertical passage through a two-part horizontal mounting bar 31, said bar also serving as a mounting means for a number of other parts presently to be described. This vertical passage through the bar 31 is produced by forming opposed semicircular seats 31:6 (shown in Fig. 7) in each side portion of said two-part bar, said side portions being clamped together by rivets or peened pins 313/. Said mounting bar 31 also has, likewise, through it semicircular seats 312 forming a vertical passage into which is tted and secured the upper end portion of a vertically elongated tubular float-containing casing 38 the lower part of which abuts laterally against the side of the mercury tank 28, and the upper part of which is in a parallel, spaced relation to the upper end of thetubular extension 21 of said tank 28.

In order to maintain a liquid communication between the lower portions of the tubular members 28 and 38 the latter member has tted into its lower end the upper extremity of an elongated plug 39 and the former has tted into its lower end a drum-shaped plug 4U. These plugs are respectively provided with axial passages 4I and 42 which are connected by a cross passage 43 through a pressed-in tube 44. The level of the mercury 45 is thus maintained at the same level in the tubular parts 28 and 38, unless subjected to pressure from the outside.

In the casing member 38 is a oat 46 carried by the lower end portion of a rod 41, the upper end portion of said rod extending axially through and at all times projecting above a packed cap structure 48. Between this cap structure and the oat the rod 41 carries a friction tight collar 48 to the upper side of which is fastened flexible means comprising a iiexible washer or disk 50 which at times (see Fig. 8) abuts against the lower concaved end of the plug-carrying cap structure 48 to close the annular working clearance therein around the rod 41.

Spaced downwardly somewhat from its upper end the oat rod 41 has secured to it in a friction tight manner a dome shaped collar 53 carrying on its under face a rubber gasket 54.

`At its upper end the oat rod 41 is pivotally connected to the free end portion of a lever 51, best shown in Fig. '7 where the opposite end portion of said lever is shown pivoted to and between the limbs of a U-shaped standard 58 by a pin 59 insertable through pivot holes in the twin metal straps 51a which form the side portions of said lever. At the free end of the lever said straps 51a abut laterally for a short distance, then they gradually diverge and at the opposite end of the lever are spaced apart by a U-shaped spacer strip 6I. A tie pin 62 at the adjacent extremity of the lever passes through the two lever limbs 51a and the open end portion of said spacer strip 6|. The base portion of the standard 58 is bolted to the two-part mounting bar 31.

Superjacent to the mounting barv 31 the needle 34. has pinned to it with a slip t an upper block B5and a lower block 66, an angular, strap metal locking bar 61 being clamped between these two blocks, the c'amping action lbeing cushioned by a layer of rubber 68. One end portion of said locking arm is downwardly deflected at a right angle to form a foot 69 with a convex sole portion 19'whichrides, ,at timesjupfon'the bar 31. The opposit'e'ndportion'pfthis locking bar is laterally notched jatillse iFieLi, .to'swing at times into a locking'relation "to the' cap structu're'53 at such times to maintain said cap structure in a sealing relation to the annular clearance 5|, see Fig. 8, around the rod 41.

The device is provided with a main indicating pointer 13 and an auxiliary indicating pointer 14, with operating connections now to be described. A motion transmission link 15 has its upper end pivoted to the lever 51 in an adjustable manner through the medium of holes 15a in relation to the length of the lever in order to adapt the device for use in indicating the liquid levels in tanks containing liquids of different specific gravities. The lower end of said link 15 is likewise pivoted to a more or less horizontal arm 16 swingable in a vertical plane and having through it a longitudinal series of pivot holes 11 so that the link and arm may be pivoted to each other in an adjustable manner to aid in the just stated function. Said auxiliary pointer 14 has an oifset shank 14a which passes through a slot in the face of the dial and is secured to the arm 16 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

At about the midlength of the mounting bar 31 there is secured thereto a pendant bracket. This bracket comprises a hanger plate shaped as an inverted L, and hence consisting of a vertical leg 18 and a horizontal leg 19, the latter leg being bolted to the mounting bar 31. Side plates 8D and 8l, see Fig. 6, secured to each other by bolts 82 and 83, provided a mounting frame for the main pointer 13 and the already mentioned arm 16 together with associated parts. Said plate has through it a circumferentially arranged series of arcuate slots 89a through which to receive screws 80h to adjustably secure the plate 89 to the vertical leg 18. A horizontal pin 84 extends turnably through said mounting frame, said pin having a projecting end portion to which the pointer 13 is secured. Said pin 84 has axially secured to it an elongated pinion gear 85 which meshes with a toothed segment 86 having a shank 81 in an overlapping relation to a slotted end portion of an adjustable slide 88 fastened to the aforesaid arm 16. Said slotted arm portion 88 is adjustably secured to the segments shank 81 by means of a set screw 89. A pintle 98, passing through projecting portions of the aforesaid frame plates 80 and 8l, passes through the slotted part 88 and pivotally supports it together with the shank 81 of the toothed segment 88, the parts 80 and 81 being suitably thickened, as shown, to provide a good bearing around said pintle.

A watch spring type of leaf spring has its coiled portion attached to a hub or sleeve 98 carried by the pin 84 and has its free end portion anchored to the pins 82 and 96. Said spring is utilized for the purpose of taking up any lag due to clearances existing among the correlated parts of this mechanical movement.

As shown in Fig. 1, the dial face 91 has inscribed upon it numbered-liquid pressure indicating graduations 98 with which cooperates the main pointer 13. Also there is, through the face of the dial a segmental slot 99 to afford a working clearance for the aforesaid oir-set portion of the auxiliary pointer 14. Said auxiliary pointer points to Full and Empty when the main pointer is positioned adjacent to the limits of its travel, thus safeguarding against misreading the pressure indications designated by said main pointer.

. In the yoperation ofv the apparatus. assumingv that the mercury is at the levelI 45 in the mercury'I housing and water .(or other liquid) l5 'is at the' chamber and having a plug portion extending downwardly thereinto, said plug portion having through it an axial passage providing an annular working clearance around the oat rod, a flexible washer carried by said float rod and frictionally adjustable therealong, when the iioat is in an elevated position said washer abutting against the lower end of said plug portion to prevent outflow of mercury therethrough, an indicating dial carried by said indicator casing, a pointer mounted upon said casing in a cooperative relation to said dial, -an operating connection between said iioat rod and pointer, there being an axial passage in said extension a portion of which is threaded and a portion of which is plain, a needle valve seat in said axial passage of said extension intermediate said threaded and plain portions thereof, a manually operable needle having a threaded portion to cooperate with the threaded portion of said axial passage of said extension and a point portion to rest at times, upon said needle Valve seat, ingress for said air under pressure into said eX- tension being located superjacent said needle valve seat, means closing fluid tight the upper end of said extension, said needle projecting through said closure means and therebeyond through the top of said casing and having an angularly directed terminus whereby it is manually turnable, a dome shaped collar secured to said oat rod in a friction tight manner superjacent said cap and carrying on its under face a gasket adapted at times to seal said annular working clearance around said oat rod Where it projects through said cap, and means carried by said needle superjacent said closure means and swingable at times into a locking relation to said collar, at such times to maintain said gasket in a sealing relation to said annular clearance, said means carried by saidneedle when rotated into a locking relation to said collar unobstructing the screwing downwardly of said needle upon its seat.

7. The subject matter of claim 6 and, said means carried by said needle comprising an upper block and a lower block mounted upon the needle `with a slip t, an angular strap metal lock ing bar clamped between said two blocks, the clamping action being cushioned by a layer of rubber therebetween, one end portion of said locking bar being deflected downwardly at a right angle to form a foot with a convex sole portion which at times rests upon a support carried by said casing, the opposite end portion of said locking bar being laterally notched to embrace said float rod when said locking bar is swung into a locking relation to said dome shaped collar.

i EMIL OLSON.

REFERENCES CITED yThe following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

